Graham Potter, when replacing Julen Lopetegui in the West Ham United dugout, needed no introduction as to the talents of one of the Premier League club’s key operators.
The former Swansea City, Brighton and Chelsea boss was keen to point out, during his introductory press conference in January, that ‘until you get under the bonnet, you are never sure’ what you are dealing with.
Yet, if Potter had admired the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta from afar, there was one West Ham United player whose qualities he was more familiar with than most. After all, half a decade previously, he had tried and failed to bring him to Brighton and Hove Albion.
And this all makes reports suggesting Graham Potter is keen to move Tomas Soucek on over the summer all the more surprising.
Potter may have reservations about Soucek’s ability to last the pace in the Premier League from here on in, his 31st birthday coming up in February. Yet, as the evergreen Czech international proved twice in The Hammers’ last three Premier League fixtures, there are still few better than Tomas Soucek in the whole of the division when it comes to crashing the penalty area and locating the back of the opposition net.
Graham Potter is a big Tomas Soucek fan but West Ham may still sell
Just a fortnight after a trademark header at The Amex, the former Slavia Prague captain gave West Ham the lead at Manchester United. Soucek is now just two goals behind Patrick Berger in his bid to become the most prolific Czech player in Premier League history.
Whether that is a record he breaks in the claret and blue of West Ham, only time will tell.
